Index.



R C. RUSSELL.

INDEX.

APPucATloN FILED MAR. 3o. 191e.

1,288,319.. Patented oct. 29, 1918.

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115 n ze 1.3 14 15 f6 an 2/ e a .a4 25 as fr 3/ 32 a3 54 35 36 ROBERT C. RUSSELL, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

INDEX.

messia.'

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Uet., 29, 1918.

Application inea March so, 191e. serial No. anais.

To all lwhom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, ROBERT C. RUSSELL, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Indexes; and I do hereby declarel the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art towhich it appertains to make and use the same. l

This invention relates to improvements in indexes and more particularly to such as are adapted to facilitate the searching of public records.

@wing to the great number of names which may be spelled in two or moredifferent ways, it has been found advisable, in indexing public records, to devise means whereby all different spellings of the same name shall appear together. Heretofore, attempts to devise such systems have involved the compilation of a sur-name index to the main index; c'. e., an index indicating the positions of different sur-names in the index proper. The labor and time necessary to compile a surname index, as well as the valuable space which it occupies, are very objectionable and distinctly disadvantageous, in an index. of public records.

In some instances, indexes of public records have been divided into 'chronological series; that is to say,-names appearing` on the records for a certain length of time have been entered'in one set of indexes and those of another period have been entered in another set of indexes.

One object of my present invention is to provide an index in which a name may be found Without searching through a great number of di'erent'names.

A further object is to provide an index which shall possess all the advantages which accrue from grouping all the different spellings of the same name, and at the same time eliminate the disadvantages incident to the use of a sur-name index to the main index.

A further object is to provide an index in which different spellings of the same name will appear in the same group' in the index.

A further object is to provide a series index in which the same name will always appear in the same section in the different series.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in certaln novel features 'larly to facilitate vas hereinafter set forthwand pointed out in theclaims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 1s a vlew of a table to be associated with the leaves or cards which constitute the body of the index, and Fig. 2 is aview illustrating one of .the pages of the index. r

The table 1 may be placed at the front of thelndex or in other parts of the index, if deslred. The index, of which the page, 1, shown in F ig. 2 of the drawing forms a part, may consist of a single book or set of leaves or cards to receive all names, and if desired, the leaves of the book may be divided into groups, each group* designated to receive names as determined bythe initial letters of the surnames,-or, in the case of a large lndex, such as employed for indexing public records, I may provide a separate book for each initial sur-name letter. i For the purpose of clearly explainin my invention, it will suffice to explain the etalls of construct1on and mode of operation, as applied to an lndex in which a separate book is employed for each sur-name initial letter. That 1s to say, I may employ 26 books (or sets of cards) which may be known as the A book, B book, etc., to receive names according to the initial letters of the sur-names.

In Fig. 2 of the drawings, I have illustrated a page of the D'book,-said page, 1n the present instance being numbered 23, which designates a section of said book and each section may comprise several leaves which are numbered consecutively, preferably in'color distinguishable from the color of the ink used in printing the section number. Thus, in Fig. 2 of the drawing, the numeral l appears under the numeral 23, toindicate page 1 of section 23.

The page shown in Fig. 2 ofthe drawing, is arranged to receive the names of grantors and grantees in propert transactions, and also datav relating to t e time and place where the full record of such property transaction ma be found. For the purposes of this speci cation, it is unnecessary to refer further tothe names of grantees or the loeating data for deedsthe present example of the index bein intended more particuie searching of names of grantors. Thus, the page shown in the drawing is provided with a section a designated to receive the names of grantors and divided into three vertical columns b, c, d,- thecolumn b, being designated to receive family or sur-names, and the columns candd being designated to receive given names.

The table shown in Fig. 1 of the drawing embodies a block of columns e, f, g, h, z', j, said block of columns being des1gnated to receive Key letters and Section numbers and the columns being designated with the key letters Z, m, n, fr, t, and Misc.,-said key letters being employed t o subdivide the index, all sur-names belng indexed according to the key' letter first appearlng 1n the name after the initial letter.

The column lc at the left of the table is designated to receive Given name initials or rather initial letters of iven names. Thus the column 7s may be divided into a number of spaces to receive the said given name initial letters. For the sake of brevlty and compactness and to facilitate the ready ,operation of the index, experience has shown that the given name initials may be grouped as indicated in Fig. 1,-thus, 1n the drawing, I have shown the given name initials arranged in ten subdivlsions, and the bottom or eleventh space of the column la may be designated Corp, etc. The groups of given name initials are individualized by consecutive numerals, or assigned numerical equivalents, beginning at the top of the column.

The key letters and Mlsc are also assumed to be individualized or to be given numerical equivalents, beginning lwith the ke letter Z.

'o locate any name, the Searcher will associate the numeral of the given name initial With the numeral of the key letter so that the two associated numerals will be the number of the section of the book, or group of pages or cards, on which the namebeing searched will be found. For example, let 1t be assumed that the name David Dixon is being searched. The given name initial D is found in the second space of column 7c of the table, thus denoting that the numerical equivalent of D is 2. The rst key letter appearing after the initial letter in the name Dixon is n.l and the numerical equivalent of this key letter is 3, as it is the third of the key letters. By associating the key letter numeral 3 with the given name initial numeral 2, We have 23 and this at once indicates that the name David yDixon is indexed in section 23 or on the group of pages 23,--the given name David being entered in the column cZ. If the given name had begun with C instead of D it would have been entered in the column c, as illustrated in the name Charles Dunseith.

With my improved index, sur-name indexes are rendered unnecessary, and a certain name Will always be located in the same section, regardless of the number fof books and characters of records indexed, in an entire system of indexed records. Thus, the

name David Dixon, in 'a record 'of transfers of property, or a record of mortgages. or a record of Wills, or an recordemployed in a system of records, wi l always be indexed in section 23,

Having fully described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, is:

1.. An index comprising a plurality of series of sections, each section comprising a plurality of consecutively numbered pages, the pages in any one section bearing the same section number which is different from any other section number, and said pages also having columns designated to receive sur-names and given names, and an element having a series of given name initial letters, each having a numerical equivalent, said element also having thereon a series of surname key letters Z, m, n, r, t, arranged in a row at an angle to the series of given name initial letters and each having a numerical equivalent, the association of a numerical equivalent of a given name initial letter with a numerical equivalent of a key letter forming a number indicated on said element, representing the section number in the index Where the name being searched may be found. -l

2. An index comprising a plurality of groups of pages, each group comprising a plurality of sections, each section comprising a plurality of consecutively numbered pages, the pages in any one section bearing the same section number which is different from any other section number in the same group, and each page ruled and designated to receive sur-names and given names, an element having a roW of given name initial letters having numerical equivalents successively and a row of sur-name key letters Z,

-. m, n, fr, t, arranged at an angle to the row of given name initial letters and having numerical equivalents successively, the association of the numerical equivalent of a key letter with the numerical equivalent of a given name initial letter representing the section number of one of said groups of pages.

3. An index comprising a plurality of groups of pages, each group comprising a plurality of sections, each section comprising a plurality of consecutively numbered pages, the pages in any one section bearing the same section number which .is different from any other section number in the same group, and each page ruled and designated to receive sur-names and given names, an element having a row of givenname initial letters divided into ten subdivisions having numerical equivalents successively, said element having also a row of tive sur-name key letters having numerical equivalents successively, the association of any one of the numerical equivalents of key letters with the numerical equivalent of any of the ten given name initial letters or groups thereof, representing the section number of one of said series of pages.

4. An index comprising a plurality of groups of pages, each group comprising a plurality of sections, each 'section comprising a plurality of consecutively numbered pages, the pages in any one section bearing the same section number which is di'erent from any other section number in the same group, and each page ruled arid designated to receive sur-names and givem names, an element having a row of given name'initial letters divided into ten subdivisions and an added subdivision of said row designated Gorp etc, said Subdivisions havin merical equivalents successively, sai element also having a row of key letters Z, m, n, 1', t, and Misc., arranged at ...an angle to said irst'mentioned row .and having numerical equivalents successively, the numerical equivalent of one of the subdivisions of the first mentioned row when associated with the numerical equivalent of one of the key letters or the abbreviation Mise representing the number, indicated on said element, of the page series Where the name being searched may be found.

In testimony whereof, I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

ROBERT C. RUSSELL. vVlfitnesses:

ANGIE M. TONERY, WALTER L. MILLER. 

